Suuku and Chie
by Prospero Hibiki
Summary: What if Genma could actually do something so honorable that changed Ranma's life in a way that no one would ever expect. Warning Character Death NOT a RanmaAkane fic!
1. And So Things Change

Disclaimer: If you're poor and you know it write FanFiction/ If you're poor and you know it write FanFiction/ If you're poor and you know and you really don't want to get sued/ If you're poor and you know it write FanFiction (like me!)  
  
Real Disclaimer: Don't own any of them, am not making money, am not stealing them cause i like Rumiko Takahashi as a writer and artist long may she pen.  
  
  
Sukuu to Chie  
by Prospero Hibiki  
hell_frost@hotmail.com  
Chapter 1: And So Things Change  
  
By the time the ambulance arrived it was already obvious to all involved that Saotome Genma was going to die. He had lost too much blood, but besides that the majority of his left side was too heavily damaged to repair surgically. But for the first time in his life he was being regarded with a great deal of admiration and pride, especially from his seven-year-old son. The reason for this admiration sat not one hundred feet away, a young boy of indeterminate age that he had pushed out of the way of a speeding truck. It was a strange feeling, knowing that he had done something good and decent for once in his life. It filled him with a strange sort of contentment.  
  
Ranma looked at his father with new eyes. He remembered his father as being a harsh taskmaster who had never shown the slightest sign of compassion for him. And yet he had done something so selfless as to sacrifice himself for a complete stranger. His steps hadn't faltered in the slightest as he had shoved the child aside, and Ranma was having a hard time of combining the two images in his head. He clutched his father's hand in his own. He leaned forward when he saw that his father wanted to tell him something.  
  
"Ranma, my boy, I want you to learn from this." Genma's voice rasped slightly, faint traces of blood appearing between his lips. "I fear that I won't survive and I must tell you something very important. The fate of the Saotome Ryu rests solely on you now, which I think is a very good thing. I have not lived a very honorable life," Genma coughed twice before continuing, "but in you I have seen the potential to move the school beyond the petty teachings of my old master. I want you to learn that no matter what happens in your life there is always a way to retain your honor if you look for it." His father smiled ruefully. "I didn't look for this one, but it found me just the same. I'm actually kind of glad it happened really. It's good to remember what it's like to do something honorable. You will be the new head of the clan and I expect you to uphold the honor of the Saotome name, as I never could. I now state that all of my promises on your behalf die with me."  
  
Ranma could feel the tears start to form in his eyes and tried to keep them from showing without much success. "I will try to make you proud of me father."  
  
Genma shook his head. "No, my son. I'm already proud of you. You must do what you can to live up to your own expectations. Set your personal goals high and do your best to fulfill them. If you do this then you will find that you will ask more of yourself than anyone ever will. Know, though, that if you strive to make the world around you better you will make yourself better as well. Remember…" Genma's voice faltered once again. "Remember…remember always that honor is a tool that once broken can never be replaced. Keep your honor bright, my…son." And so Saotome Genma died with his son holding his hand.  
  
A short distance away and out of the sobbing child's earshot a police officer was talking to a nearby shop owner. "I have no idea how that man held together for as long as he did. His injuries should have killed him instantly."  
  
The shopkeeper nodded. "I'm finding it very hard to stay angry at the man. Though he did rob my store he still saved that child's life. I shudder to think what would have happened had he not stolen my money and fled. He'd never have been here to push that child aside."  
  
"Even a thief can do something to redeem his honor."  
  
The owner nodded. "I'd hate to detract from what he did so it would be appreciated if you removed all mention of the theft from the official record."  
  
The officer nodded. "As you wish. In fact I don't think anyone else needs to know at all." He looked over at the still sobbing Ranma. "Especially the man's son. His father died an honorable man. That is all that matters now."  
  
"Still how did he survive long enough to talk to his son?"  
  
~~~  
  
Up in Heaven an obscure god of wisdom slumped down in exhaustion. Keeping the man alive long enough to impart the things he had learned when faced with his death had been quite trying. But it was the least he could do for the person who had even inadvertently saved his great-great grandson. The god smiled when he looked down at the brave form of Saotome Ranma. He would now be looking out for the young head of the Saotome clan. He owed that family a great debt and if there was one thing that Chie knew it was that honor debts should always be repaid.  
  
~~~  
  
Years passed and the young boy became a man, learning to push himself harder and faster than anyone else ever could have. He had returned to live with his mother for a while after his father's death, but soon the road had called out to Ranma. He traveled far and wide crossing the continents. Always though he kept in contact with his mother being as he was the clan head. And as he traveled he learned from anyone who would teach him. He mastered the arts of Kung Fu, Aikido, Kendo, Jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Tai Chi, Maui Thai, as well as deadly arts that hadn't traveled beyond the countryside that had spawned them.  
  
It was an important time for him, one in which he grew beyond the simple martial artist his father had envisioned for him. He grew as a person in ways that Genma would have never believed possible before his death. Other cultures taught him the importance of different value systems while he learned to survive in foreign lands. He gained enemies as he went, some very powerful, but he also gained allies and friends. The trip was also an opportunity for him to try his hand at international business and he found that many of the friends he had gained were able to help him rebuild his family's fortune from almost nothing.  
  
If he had wanted to Ranma could have retired from his life as a wandering Martial Artist and rested on his laurels for the remainder of his life, but he felt that would be betraying the final teachings of his father. So on his sixteenth birthday Saotome Ranma returned home to his mother a much better person than he had left. He was also much richer having started a company to sustain his family far into the future.  
  
Genma Industries was his own way of honoring his father and he did quite well with it using his travels to build a client base throughout the world. It was a really ingenious concept, which he had come up with while traveling. By supplying modern computer components at low costs to the people who helped him in his travels, he gained access to larger groups of people through word of mouth. Soon many people were scrambling to gain access to modern technology though his company. Genma Industries grew from being run solely by Ranma and his mother through infrequent telephone calls, to being able to purchase an enormous office building in downtown Tokyo in only nine short years.  
  
Saotome Nodoka wept at seeing her son for the first time in two years and hugged him fiercely. He had grown so much in his travels that every time he returned he was different. This time the differences came in the form of a long almost invisible scar that ran down the right side of his face from his forehead, over his eyelid, and down to his chin. He was also much taller and more muscular than she remembered and the combination of the two new features made him quite handsome. She didn't ask about his scar knowing that her son would tell her when the appropriate time came. Other than that he looked the same as he had when he had left. His black hair was still braided into a pigtail though it was now a little longer. He wore his usual green Chinese Shirt with rolled up sleeves and a pair of loose, black pants.  
  
Ranma was almost as emotional as his mother, but managed to speak despite it. "Mother, I've come home."  
  
Nodoka could only nod having heard the finality of that statement. She had no doubt that her son would go on the occasional training trip in the future and she would have been disappointed if he hadn't. But never before had he said those four words in that way. The irresistible wanderlust that had once gripped her son had turned into something different and she could see it in his eyes.  
  
~~~  
  
An alarm went off on Chie's desk and he looked up to realize that it was Ranma's sixteenth birthday. He had been watching out for the young man on occasion throughout the years and had liked what he had seen. He couldn't do much for him directly but he had helped where he had been able to by encouraging people to help the lad where they might have turned away indifferently. It had been nine years and his own descendant had turned out just as well because of Genma's sacrifice. Seeing that Ranma was doing well he turned back to the report he was writing for Athena, resolving to check on the lad again in a few months.  
  



	2. Honor Debts

Disclaimer: If you're poor and you know it write FanFiction/ If you're poor and you know it write FanFiction/ If you're poor and you know and you really don't want to get sued/ If you're poor and you know it write FanFiction (like me!)  
  
Real Disclaimer: Don't own any of them, am not making money, am not stealing them cause i like Rumiko Takahashi as a writer and artist long may she pen.  
  
  
Sukuu to Chie  
by Prospero Hibiki  
hell_frost@hotmail.com  
Chapter 2: Honor Debts  
  
Waking up early was something that had become ingrained in Ranma even before he would walk. It was now such a habit that even on his first day back he was up long before the sun practicing his katas in the Saotome Dojo. The space for the dojo was the only reason that he and his mother had moved out of their old home in Juuban and into Nerima. They didn't get a truly opulent house, which they could have afforded, with their newly earned wealth. They instead bought a simple home with a compound large enough to build a dojo. Their new home was instead rather humble their only real luxuries being the yard and their basement, which contained their family computer system.  
  
Being heavily involved in the computer industry their system was beyond top of the line and included experimental technologies that many companies would literally kill for if they knew they existed. Which was one reason why the Saotome clan protected its privacy as well as it did. Almost no one at Genma Industries knew where their owners lived and only a bare handful even knew that Ranma was their CEO. Many of their employees had met Ranma at some point in time but most thought he was only an incidental member of the Saotome family. It was his way of ensuring that he had competent people in his company. Most people who received promotions never understood it was because they had impressed the young clan leader when he visited infrequently.  
  
Several hours passed in a blur as the pigtailed martial artist went though dozens of katas in almost as many fighting styles. When he finished he was startled to find that he wasn't alone and that his mother had at some point joined him performing her own sword forms.  
  
"Mom, I didn't see you come in."  
  
"I know." She smiled. "I still have some tricks up my sleeve that I haven't taught you yet."  
  
"So what brings you down so early?" He knew his mother well enough to know that she tended to sleep in if she got the chance to.  
  
"I thought it would be wise of me to remind you that you have school today."  
  
Ranma blinked. "School?"  
  
Nodoka sighed. "Yes, school. You really need to learn to associate with people your own age. I know you are experienced with communicating in the business world, but that just isn't the same."  
  
Ranma knew that he wasn't going to win this battle so he acquiesced. "Okay I'll go."  
  
"There's another reason you should go as well. Kuonji Ukyo is going to the school I've enrolled you in."  
  
He stiffened for a fraction of a second, before he nodded. He'd been devastated when he had learned about Ucchan. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he had betrayed his best friend, and yet he had. He hadn't known that Ukyo was a girl or that his father had run away with her dowry. When he had discovered it several years before he had tried to make reparations, but nothing could have made up for the harm he had inadvertently done her. He knew he would have to face her eventually and he had wanted to get it over with. "Okay, mom, I'll go. But I'm not wearing a uniform."  
  
"That's okay, son. I've discovered that Furinkan High School is extremely lenient in it's uniform policy." She took out an old pocket watch. "You should get cleaned up if you don't want to be late for school."  
  
"Yes, mom."  
  
Using the dreaded secret techniques of Bath Fu and Martial Arts Dressing, Ranma was soon ready to go, only slowing down to eat and get directions from his mother, before kissing her cheek and running off. The techniques paid off when he actually arrived at the gates of Furinkan well before the bell rang. It was a slightly strange sight that was before the green clad martial artist. There were several dozen boys armed with an assortment of weapons. They appeared to be waiting for something. It was then that a tall boy in what seemed to be the garb of a samurai of old approached Ranma. Despite the boy's goofy appearance Ranma kept a close eye on his wooden bokken.  
  
"Greetings fellow warrior. I can see that you possess some pittance of skill at the arts of war. Mayhap you are here to partake in the romantic defeat of the fair Tendo Akane the victor of which has my permission to date with her. Of course the fame of these fair battles has obviously reached you so you must know that my peers know me as the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High. I am Kuno Tatewaki age seventeen." Thunder rang ominously in the background.  
  
It took Ranma several seconds to understand what the fool had said. "You're saying that if someone beats up this girl then that person will be able to go out with her?" Ranma needed to make sure.  
  
"That is correct. But of course I will win this battle through superior skill at arms. So says the Blue Thunder!" Again lightning struck the ground nearby.  
  
Ranma then asked the only thing he could think of. "You wouldn't happen to be part Amazon would you?" Seeing Kuno shake his head he shrugged. "I'm afraid I can't compete today for I have some," Ranma thought for a moment to come up with an idea that would make the blowhard leave him alone. "I fear a matter of family honor must take me away from yon battle, kind sir. Perhaps on the morrow I will join thee in a most noble quest to seek the Holy Grail." That the last part was spoken in perfect English threw off the obtuse kendoist long enough for Ranma to escape. And he wasn't lying either for he did need to find Ucchan and see what he could do to restore his family's honor.  
  
It didn't take very long at all to discover that Kuonji Ukyo had been out sick the past few days but was expected back the next. It was slightly surprising to discover though that people kept referring to Ukyo as a guy. Of course he had thought Ukyo was a guy when they first met, but that had been ten years before. He learned different when he had discovered about the engagement. Slightly upset and depressed he went to his new homeroom before he would have been considered late. He introduced himself and sat down hardly noticing some of the stares his clothes and scar received.  
  
The classes that morning didn't appeal to him at all being as they were three topics he knew very well: English, math, and computers. In fact he was able to get some sleep during those classes and still answer the questions the teachers asked him when the noticed he had nodded off. It was during lunch that the truly interesting things started to happen.  
  
It all started with his cell phone ringing while he was eating the lunch his mother had made for him. He had picked it up and answered it Japanese, but had immediately started speaking in Bantu when he heard that being spoken over the line. And so he had had a very nice conversation with an old friend of his in Africa. Of course speaking so casually in a foreign language had attracted a large crowd so when he had hung up and then made a phone call in Cantonese everyone was even mores surprised. Immediately after he finished people started asking questions at a frantic pace.  
  
"What language was that?"  
  
"Where did you get that scar?"  
  
"Why aren't you wearing a uniform?"  
  
"Are you currently seeing anyone?"  
  
"Would you go out with me?" It was these last two questions that seemed to be asked the most.  
  
Seeing no other option open to him Ranma jumped onto the lower branches of the tree he was leaning against. "Could you just leave me alone please? I'm really quite flattered, but I just don't have …" Ranma shut up before he put both feet into his mouth. "Sorry got to run." With that said he ran even further up the tree and leaped to a neighboring one, before hitting the ground at a dead run.  
  
Hiding behind a corner he saw the students milling around before he saw them rush over to a girl with short brown hair. Sneaking close enough to overhear and not be seen he discovered that they were trying to buy information about him from her. Once all of the people had been sent away with what little information she had he decided to make his appearance. Such a person could prove useful.  
  
"Hello there. I guess you're the person people go to in order to get information." He waved vaguely in the direction of the departing students.  
  
She smirked slightly. "I've been known to come across such things on occasion. I'm Tendo Nabiki and how can I help you Saotome Ranma?"  
  
Ranma nodded. She wouldn't be very good if she couldn't recognize who he was. "I assume that all your transactions remain confidential. I would hate to have my affairs known to others unless I told them, Tendo-san." The threat and promise lay hanging in the air.  
  
"Of course Saotome. Anything that you wish to remain between us shall. And no one will ever discover what you purchased from me."  
  
"Very good. I wish to purchase some information from you. In exchange I will tell you a little about myself that no one at this school today knows. I believe that this would help you in your business efforts."  
  
"That sounds fair. Information for information. If you would please go first." Nabiki took out a notepad and motioned to some of her factors to keep people away from them.  
  
"Very well. My name is Saotome Ranma. I am sixteen years old, my birthday having been yesterday. I have studied martial arts for a majority of my life and am ranked at master status in seven different styles and am acknowledged as more than competent in at least twice that. I speak eight different languages fluently and know enough of others to get by in my travels. I am competent in both math and computers. Some of my favorite foods are stir fry, okanomiyaki, and an African dish that I am not able to spell for you and which no one in Japan has the ingredients to make. I live in a fairly simple home with my mother since my father passed away nine years ago. I like the color green the best." He paused. "Is that enough information for you Tendo-san?"  
  
Nabiki nodded after thinking for a moment. "All except for one thing. How did you get that scar?"  
  
Ranma stiffened slightly. "I suppose that is a fair question. I just need to ask that you tell no one the circumstances until tomorrow."  
  
This certainly got Nabiki's attention. "Why?"  
  
Putting his hand behind his head he looked a little embarrassed. "Because I haven't yet told my mother how I received it, and I would prefer that she not hear it from anyone else but me."  
  
"Fair enough. I swear I'll only sell that information tomorrow."  
  
He placed his right forefinger over the scar and traced it from forehead to jaw. "I was in Africa one year ago and I helped an injured lion that had been caught under a fallen rock. The rock had a piece of volcanic glass in it that cut me when I moved it aside." Ranma didn't see how it was pertinent to mention that he had been living with that lion for two months in order to rid himself of the Neko-ken.  
  
Nabiki shook her head. "I don't know why, but I actually believe you when you say that is what happened." She put away the notepad. "Now what did you wish to know Saotome-san?"  
  
"I wish for all the information you have on one Kuonji Ukyo." He nodded to himself when he saw her stiffen slightly. She obviously knew Ukyo was a girl and was wondering if she should tell him. "I do ask that nothing that is said among us on this topic be revealed to anyone by either one of us." He saw her relax slightly.  
  
"Kuonji Ukyo is registered as the son of Kuonji Haruka, who owns an okanomiyaki restaurant in Kyoto. He registered here for reasons unknown to the student body at the moment. He doesn't seem to be interested in dating any of the girls here at Furinkan." She paused only briefly at Ranma's snort. "Distinctive features about him are the blue male uniform and the large spatula he has strapped to his back. His long hair is tied back in a long ponytail. Is there anything else you want to know about him?"  
  
Ranma watched her carefully. It was clearly a verbal trap to see if he knew Ukyo was a girl. It was interesting and he didn't know whether to take the bait or not. In the end he decided not to. "Thank you, Tendo-san. I would appreciate it if you forgot that this latter conversation ever took place." He waited for her nod before walking away.  
  
The rest of the day passed by without any major incidents, except that one of the girls in his class kept glaring at him for no particular reason, while all of the other girls just kept staring at him. It was fairly unnerving and so when the final bell of the day rang he was out of his seat and through the door before anyone else had stood up. He raced out the gate ran all the way to the train station which would take him into downtown Tokyo. From there it was only a matter of time before he made it to Genma Industries. He only stayed for an hour, which was long enough for him to pick up one of their new mini computers. It was small enough to fit inside his school bag without any difficulty and considerably more powerful than most conventional laptops. It would be a good gift for Nabiki since she was protecting Ukyo's secret.  
  
The trip home was uneventful and soon Ranma found himself sitting in the living room with his mother discussing his travels. She listened to him as she always did, silently letting him explain things in his own time. She softly cried when she heard how he had recovered from the Neko-ken madness and received his scar. Most everything else she accepted calmly even if he described life-threatening situations. Nodoka was just so proud of her son, especially how he had faced and overcome his greatest fear.  
  
"I'm very proud of you, Ranma, as I am sure your father is proud of you. Now, tell me how today's meeting with Ukyo went."  
  
"It didn't. She wasn't at school today. And I found out something today. Apparently Ukyo is now registered as a boy. I think this has hurt her far more than I will ever know. I can only hope that when I talk to her tomorrow that I can find someway to restore her honor."  
  
"Son, you do realize that your father took all of his promises about you to the grave with him. Tell me why, of all of those promises, Ukyo's means the most to you." The way she said it indicated that she knew the reason just as well as he did, but she just wanted to here him say it.  
  
Ranma nodded. "I know the arrangement was dissolved with father's death, but still I feel bad about leaving her behind. She didn't deserve that. No one does." He now looked directly into his mother's eyes. "And besides she was my friend. No one was really my friend during that part of my life, but she was."  
  
Nodoka nodded in turn. "You do realize that it might be that the most honorable thing would be to marry her. Would you do that to restore her honor?"  
  
It was something that Ranma had found himself thinking about all during the day. "No, mother. I wouldn't marry her to restore her honor. That wouldn't be fair to either her or me. I would only ask her to marry me if I loved her and she me."  
  
"Very well. I will take all of this under consideration. You know that I don't approve of arranged marriages. I would not see you forced into one that you did not wish. Now, did anything else happen at school today?"  
  
"Not much. Apparently I have become rather popular all of a sudden. I met a girl who was able to tell me about Ukyo in exchange for information about myself. If someone named Tendo Nabiki talks to you be very careful mother. She is quite intelligent and I believe she could ferret out any secret given the opportunity to do so."  
  
"I see you still wish to remain outside the spotlight," she said. "I agree and I do not wish to become the center of attention either. But is it wise to keep knowledge of our wealth from people?"  
  
"I will not be a prize to be won!" Ranma stood up and took several deep breaths. "I'm sorry mother, but I want to have real friends and not people looking to gain my favor." With that he stormed out of the house.  
  
~~~  
  
Nodoka watched him go and secretly smiled. It was hard to be pushy about certain topics when she didn't agree with what she said. She was glad that he had such strong feelings about friendship, but she also knew that such confrontations only served to strengthen those feelings. Her son had grown into a fine man indeed. 


	3. Eat, Drink, and Be Merry...

Disclaimer: If you're poor and you know it write FanFiction/ If you're poor and you know it write FanFiction/ If you're poor and you know and you really don't want to get sued/ If you're poor and you know it write FanFiction (like me!)  
  
Real Disclaimer: Don't own any of them, am not making money, am not stealing them cause i like Rumiko Takahashi as a writer and artist long may she pen.  
  
  
Sukuu to Chie  
by Prospero Hibiki  
hell_frost@hotmail.com  
Chapter 3: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry...  
  
Ranma stalked through the streets of Nerima in a slightly foul mood. While what he had said to his mother was true, he also had to acknowledge that she had a good point. It wasn't fair to hide the truth from people. He didn't like lying to people, and he wasn't in the strictest sense of the word. But he remembered a statement he had been told about lies while in the United States. If he was lying to people it was a lie of omission. Still he couldn't think of any way that it could hurt anyone, and revealing that he was rich would only attract undue attention to himself and his mother. And he would do anything and everything in his power to protect his mother.  
  
Still he needed to take care of things and no matter what happened he was going to draw some attention to himself if he wanted to end things correctly. Of course this brought his mind back around to the girl he had wanted to talk to at school that morning. He shook his head angrily. There wasn't anything he could think of that would restore Ukyo's honor. As he had told his mother he couldn't see how marrying her would resolve anything if it wasn't out of love. But there wasn't anything else he could do. He wasn't used to dealing with this type of thing. He was a great fighter and so would rather be in a fight to the death rather than try to figure out impossible situations.  
  
His mental processes skidded to a halt for a brief second before running off in another direction. Maybe death was the answer. It wasn't a solution that particularly pleased him, but it was an option that was open to him. Seppuku might not be called for in this situation, but perhaps it would be wiser to have Ukyo decide if she wanted his life in order to make up for everything. Still he decided that if she wanted his life she could have it.  
  
He was so occupied with his thoughts that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going and ran into someone when he turned a corner. Seeing that the person was about to fall his hands shot out and held her up. Despite that fact she was wearing fairly androgynous clothing he knew she was a girl because … well he just knew. Looking at her face he realized that she was about his age, although she carried herself as if she were much older. He quickly set her properly on her feet.  
  
"Sorry, miss. I should have been watching where I was going."  
  
She waved away his apologies. "That's okay. I'm just glad you caught me." She had a slight accent that he knew he'd heard before, but couldn't quite place.  
  
"It was the least I could do. I always try to keep the pretty girls from getting hurt." It was rather easy for him to say it because he thought she was quite attractive even if her clothes weren't meant to show off her figure. He couldn't understand why this seemed to annoy her though.  
  
"Of all the arrogant things to say!" She reached up with her hand and slapped him.  
  
Ranma immediately knew that he had made a mistake by phrasing it as he had, but he couldn't seem to figure out which part of it had been wrong. He did tend to run into pretty girls quite often and tended to look out for them. And she certainly fit into both of those categories even if she didn't dress like it. Rubbing his stinging cheek he realized that she was glaring at him. "Ummm, sorry?"  
  
She looked slightly repentant. "I'm sorry, it's just that you ran into me at a bad time."  
  
"It's alright. My timing has been off all day now. Why should now be any different?" He smiled slightly and decided that it would be best to just walk away. "I hope your day goes better." Turning he went deeper into the retail district of the town, his mind already thinking about what he needed to do to prepare for his confrontation tomorrow.  
  
He definitely needed to call the office and get some things out of the way. He reached into his pocket pull out his cell phone only to realize that he didn't have it on him, having put it into his school bag, which he had left at home. Looking around he spotted a phone booth across the street from a clothing store.  
  
It took a great deal longer than he had originally thought to arrange for the necessary paperwork to be sent over to his house, mostly because of the difficulty of convincing people to take him seriously. But once that was taken care of exercising his control of the company was rather simple. It was the second phone call that he knew was going to give him the most trouble. He didn't know what he was going to tell his mother but he knew that if he went home now he'd spend the entire night arguing with her instead of enjoying what could be his last night.  
  
He dialed the number to his house, and then redialed it because he had made a mistake in his nervousness. "Hello?"  
  
"Mom?"  
  
"Oh, it's you Ranma. What time do you think you'll be home so I know when to start dinner?"  
  
He winced slightly. "I won't be home till late, mother. There will be a man from the office stopping by with some paperwork for me later."  
  
She seemed slightly puzzled over the phone. "Okay I'll look out for him. But something tells me you didn't just call to tell me that. What's wrong?"  
  
"I found a solution to the problem with Ukyo. But for some reason I don't think you're going to like it."  
  
Ranma could almost imagine a small frown crossing her face. "Tell me, my son."  
  
"I'm going to turn my fate over to her. If she wants it my life is forfeit." As he'd expected he needed to hold the phone away from his ear.  
  
"No! I won't allow it! I forbid you to do that."  
  
"As the current head of the Saotome clan I have so decided." He hated to do that to his mother, but he didn't have any choice.  
  
He could hear some soft sobbing coming from over the line. "As you wish, my son. At what time can I expect you home tonight?"  
  
This time it was Ranma's voice that faltered. "I … I don't know. Late. I don't know the exact time. I'm not going to do it tonight, mother." He heard her minute sigh of relief. "I just want to live for tonight. It's been so long since I've had a real chance to have fun, and this might be the last chance I get. I'm going to talk to Ukyo tomorrow. One way or another things will be over by this time tomorrow."  
  
"What are you planning to do tonight?"  
  
"I have no idea. Maybe…" He looked around to come up with something, anything that he could do. And then he saw it. Or rather her. It was the same girl from before standing across the street looking into the window of the clothing boutique. She was staring at an emerald evening gown that he personally thought would look rather stunning on her. "… Maybe I'll go out on a date with a beautiful girl."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm sorry mom. I gotta go. We'll talk when I get home." He saw that the girl was starting to walk away.  
  
"We certainly will."  
  
Dashing out the door not even caring about the change that was returned to him he ran over to the girl. Trying to be as quiet as possible he spoke. "Why didn't you go into the store? I think that dress would suit you rather well."  
  
She jumped slightly clearly startled by her reaction and she spun around falling into a defensive stance almost instinctively. "Oh, it's you again. What do you want?"  
  
"I was just curious why you didn't at least try the dress on."  
  
She shrugged. "It's so far outside my budget that it's …." It looked like she was finding it had to think of a suitably impossible description.  
  
"Did you like the dress?"  
  
"It was pretty. But I don't think I could wear anything like that." She sounded almost wistful.  
  
His mind made up, Ranma grabbed her hand and dragged her back and into the store.  
  
"What are you doing?!"  
  
Ignoring her for a brief moment he approached one of the salesladies. "We'd like to take a look at that dress in the window, please."  
  
"No!"  
  
He turned to her once again. "Why not?" He looked at the dress once again. "It'd look good on you."  
  
"I can't possibly afford that!"  
  
"I didn't say anything about you buying it. We're only going to look at it for the moment." He looked back at the window. "Did you like the black one better?" Ranma hoped she didn't because it seemed a little off to him somehow.  
  
"No, I much rather try on the green one …Wait a second here I didn't say that I'd try it on." Her protests were most politely ignored by the staff who were hustling her away into a changing room.  
  
Nodding sagely he smirked when he turned to face one of the other ladies. "Now do you have anything for me?" He watched her eyes light up at the thought of the commission.  
  
~~~  
  
About ten minutes later she stepped out of the dressing room and he knew that he had been right about her being absolutely stunning. The fact that she was blushing rather heavily only added to her beauty.  
  
"Does it fit?" he asked already knowing the answer.  
  
"Yes, it does."  
  
Ranma turned and nodded to the salesperson that had helped him pick out the green silk shirt he now wore. It was much like his usual one except there were traces of designs done in gold thread throughout. That done he walked over to the girl. "So is there an amusement park around here?"  
  
"What?"  
  
~~~  
  
"Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow I die." Ranma wasn't even aware that he had said the phrase that had been running through his head all evening, out loud.  
  
"I'm sorry?" the girl asked.  
  
He still hadn't asked her of her name, because he didn't want to know. It would put too much strain on the idea of the entire outing. Still she deserved an answer, as it had been part of the deal. "I didn't tell you why I wanted to go to an amusement park, did I?" It was a rhetorical question because he knew he hadn't. "I've never been to one before and it's something that I thought I should do before I die."  
  
"You're talking as if you intend to kill yourself tomorrow. I'm not sure I like that." She edged away from him slightly.  
  
"I don't know if what I'm going to do could be considered suicide. Maybe it could. But it's the only way I can think of to restore a friend's honor, and I have to take it. That might mean I have to die tomorrow, but it's kind of funny really. I don't mind right now." He stared out the window of the Ferris wheel for several minutes before she broke the silence.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Hmmmm?"  
  
"Why doesn't it bother you? Dying, I mean."  
  
Ranma shrugged. "Dying bothers me a lot really. But that's not what I meant. I guess what I meant to say is that I don't mind dying tomorrow. When I first thought of doing what I'll do tomorrow, I thought of all the things I hadn't done, and I started to have regrets."  
  
"And you don't now?"  
  
He chuckled at her expression. "Oh I have tons of regrets still. I think I always will. But everyone has regrets. It's just that talking to you tonight has reminded me of all the things I have done with my life. I remember walking though Southeast Asia while some of the people around me succumb to illness. One grabbed my shirt on his final night and whispered to me, 'Let us eat, drink and be merry, my friend, for tomorrow I'll die.' And we did, and he did, and now I finally understand."  
  
"That's a rather morbid tale." She shuddered slightly, but whether it was from horror of the stopping of the Ferris wheel he didn't know.  
  
"But it's true. That was the deal. No names, but only the truth."  
  
"Truth. I don't know what that is anymore." She snorted. "I still don't know why I agreed to this in the first place." She waved her hand around to indicate everything from the amusement park to the new dress she was wearing.  
  
"Neither do I." Ranma stood up and took her hand leading her out of the car. "Where to next?" He made no attempt to release her hand, and this time she didn't shake his off.  
  
"How about the Mirror Maze?"  
  
He looked where she was pointing and could see part of the sign. "Why not?"  
  
~~~  
  
It was a while before they had been to enough of the attractions that they decided a break was in order. They sat at a café in a more subdued part of the park, Ranma intercepting all of her attempts to pay for herself.  
  
"It's attitudes like that make women seem like objects in this society."  
  
"Oh? How so?" Ranma was truly interested in hearing about this.  
  
"It's always assumed that the men should pay the bills and that the women shouldn't. And because the men pay the bills the women should be more submissive. It seems like everywhere you go women have less power than men." She paused for a moment while Ranma started to choke on his hot chocolate. "What's wrong with you?"  
  
He smiled once he had recovered. "I think you'd fit in perfectly with the Joketsuzoku."  
  
"What does that mean?" He could see her temper was rising.  
  
"Nothing much really unless you know that the Joketsuzoku are known as the Chinese Amazons." Seeing her blank look he elaborated. "Their society is completely run by the women."  
  
This time it was her turn to smirk. "Finally an enlightened people."  
  
Ranma nodded. "Oh, I agree. But not for the same reasons as you obviously do. I think they are enlightened because their culture has existed for over three thousand years despite being surrounded by some of the most dangerous nations to ever exist. Then again I might be biased because I am a part of their tribe."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I was accepted as an honorary member of the tribe when I rescued one of their children from a tiger."  
  
"I don't believe you."  
  
"It's true. I have this way with big cats. They always seem to like following me around for some reason. I think it's because they sense …" He shuddered slightly. Although he had been cured of the Neko-ken, thinking about the training he had gone through was still fairly unpleasant. "…nevermind. It's not important."  
  
"I thought we were supposed to tell the truth? It seems to be very important."  
  
"It's not really important. It's just not something I like to think about."  
  
She didn't look convinced, but seemed willing to let it slide. "I suppose I can accept that. But tell me this. Why did you insist on paying the check if you are a part of a society that thinks men are inferior to women?"  
  
"Simple really. I don't often spend this much money in a month and I wanted to find out what it's like."  
  
"That seems…strange."  
  
"I never said I wasn't strange."  
  
"No you certainly didn't."  
  



	4. ...For Tomorrow We...(teaser)

Disclaimer: If you're poor and you know it write FanFiction/ If you're poor and you know it write FanFiction/ If you're poor and you know and you really don't want to get sued/ If you're poor and you know it write FanFiction (like me!)  
  
Real Disclaimer: Don't own any of them, am not making money, am not stealing them cause i like Rumiko Takahashi as a writer and artist long may she pen.  
  
  
Sukuu to Chie  
by Prospero Hibiki  
hell_frost@hotmail.com  
Chapter 4: ...For Tomorrow We...  
  
Ranma didn't know when it happened but at some point he realized that he'd stopped letting go of the girl's hand as they went from attraction to attraction. He found himself smiling at her for no particular reason, and the night seemed that much more complete when she saw and smiled back. Despite his wish to keep the entire evening as a fun time with a stranger he discovered that he was reluctant to let her go. He didn't like the fact that he was attracted to her and liked the evidence that she was growing attracted to him even less. He didn't want to meet someone he could possible love, especially the night before he faced Ukyo. It just wasn't fair to either of them. Which meant absolutely nothing to the feelings he felt rise up in him. He sighed.  
  
"Why so great a sigh?"  
  
A smart retort was almost to his lips when he thought better of it. "It's not fair you know?" What he had meant as a statement of fact came out surprisingly like a question, so much so that it sounded strange.  
  
She frowned at him. "What isn't fair?"  
  
"Honor. I've been boxed into a situation that I can't get out of without hurting someone. I'd thought that I'd come up with the perfect solution, but now…" He trailed off not knowing what else could be said.  
  
The frown remained. "I thought you had said that you felt better about tomorrow. Not that I'm complaining mind you, it's just that the change is rather sudden."  
  
"I know. I'd thought I could face tomorrow without looking back on all the things I hadn't done, but now I find myself wanting to live with more force and passion then ever before." He shook his head violently. "Sorry, I'm just not making any sense."  
  
Reaching to span the few inches that separated them on the bench it was her turn to shake her head. "No, I understand what you're saying." She smirked at him. "Is there any reason in particular that you want to live so fiercely?"  
  
She was obviously trying to lift one eyebrow suggestively but the slight twitch in the other ruined the effect slightly. It was all he could do not to laugh out loud. Instead, catching the question behind the question he could only blush. "There is one reason that I only discovered tonight, yes."  
  
  
~~~  
  
Okay people took me seriously when i said i wanted comments and thanks to everyone who either reviewed or sent an e-mail. For those who flamed...thank you, i needed the laugh.  
  
OH YEAH! THIS ISN'T a RANMA/AKANE FIC!!!!!!!!  
  
Come on people i haven't even said who the girl is and i already got at least 5 comments saying that the fic was either awesome or sucked cause it was a Ranma/Akane fic! First of all it shouldn't matter who the main characters are, but rather the story quality, and secondly... IT ISN'T a Ranma/Akane FIC!  
  
Oh yes. Congrats on those of you who guessed the girl correctly. This chapter when it's updated will tellwho she is.  
  
E-mail me at hell_frost@hotmail.com with comments, criticisms, flames, ANYTHING. Heck if you just want to say HI! WRITE ME PLEEEAAASSEEEE! 


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